Police practice in cases of sudden and unexpected child death in England and Wales: an investigative deficit?
| Published date | 16 September 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-03-2019-0018 |
| Date | 16 September 2019 |
| Pages | 202-214 |
| Author | John Fox |
Police practice in cases of sudden and
unexpected child death in England and
Wales: an investigative deficit?
John Fox
Abstract
Purpose –The systemin England and Wales involvesajoint agencyresponse to the sudden and unexpected
death of a child (SUDC) and, for various reasons, the police contribution to that investigation is sometimes
inadequate. Thepurpose of this paper is to explore some of the dilemmas which explain thisinadequacy.
Design/methodology/approach –The arguments presented in the paper are made on the basis of
empirically derived findings, drawing from original research based upon qualitative interviews with nine senior
detectives working in the areas of child abuse or major crime, as well as focus groups of senior detectives,
and a limited contribution from pathologists.
Findings –This paper explores whether there is an investigative deficit in respect of potential child homicide
when compared to an adult domestic homicide, and it concludes that in some areas the most vulnerable
people in society may be at risk because of issues such as inadequate training, inflexible force policies and
under-resourced police investigation of child death.
Practical implications –It is possible to kill a child and leave few, if any, physical clues on the body.
To determine if homicide is the cause of death, the overall police investigation therefore has to be of high
quality to identify any clues that have been left by the perpetrator at the scene or in other ways. It is usualfor
Child Abuse Investigation Unit detectives to investigate SUDC but they are often trying to do so with little
training and few resources. Cuts to police service budgets since 2010 have affected all elements of policing,
including Major Crime Teams. As a result, these teams are more discerning about which cases they take on
and there is evidence they are not taking on child death investigations even if there are suspicions of
homicide. The findings reveal important implications for police investigative trainingand a clear and significant
deficit in the investigative resources available to the lead investigator on a SUDC investigation which may or
may not be a homicide, compared with the resources available to the senior investigating officer on a
straightforward domestic homicide when the victim is an adult. If homicide is missed, then siblings or future
siblings with that family may be left at risk of harm. The College of Policing suggested standards for SUDC
investigation are sometimes not being adhered to in respect of training and resources.
Originality/value –The paper is informed by original qualitative research conducted in 2019. The findings
are of value to police policy makers, the College of Policing, and police senior leadership teams.
Keywords Justice, Policing, Evidence-based practice, Investigation, Homicide,
Training/professionalization, Child death
Paper type Research paper
Introduction and background
The majority of children die from natural causes, and the disease, genetic condition or ailment is often
easily and quickly identified. However, there are approximately 230 deaths of babies and toddlers
every year in the UK which, despite an investigation, remain unexplained (Lullaby Trust, 2015). In
respect of an infant (a child under 1 year of age), the phenomenon known as Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS) is probably the cause of death in most cases of unexpected death. This notion is
supported by Kennedy (2004, 2016). However, SIDS is not a diagnosis; it is a label perhaps designed
to remove a stigma or feeling of lifelong guilt from bereaved parents. This phenomenon is not
understood at all well and no one actually knows the mechanism which occurs to cause death
Received 30 March 2019
Revised 12 July 2019
Accepted 2 August 2019
John Fox is based at the
Institute of Criminal Justice
Studies, University of
Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
PAGE202
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICALRESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE
j
VOL. 5 NO. 3 2019, pp.202-214,© Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-03-2019-0018
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